How to Calculate Total Cost of IT Ownership
from Forbes
 Cost-cutting may reduce your bottom line, but it can also cripple your information-technology infrastructure. That's why, when making smart decisions about where to invest (and save) your IT dollars, it's critical to calculate the "total cost of ownership." Bmighty aims to help, with its Total Cost of Ownership Calculator, provided courtesy of Info-Tech Research Group. This free Excel-based calculator accurately estimates your IT costs at the strategic and daily operational levels. It can account for both direct and indirect costs, including hardware, software, systems management, support and services. More
Australian Pet Food Deaths Not Linked to Chinese Contamination
from The Courier
Unexplained chronic illness and death among Sydney cats has been linked to a gourmet imported pet food withdrawn from stores over the past three weeks. A cat neurologist, Georgina Child, has put down five cats over the past week and treated or consulted with other vets about more than a dozen others suffering from paralysis. Dr Child, who is based at the University of Sydney's veterinary hospital and the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in North Ryde, said the only factor that linked all the cats was a specialist pet food called Orijen, which is imported through a Canadian company, Champion Petfoods. "There is a highly suspicious link because this is an uncommon expensive food in this country at the moment, and not sold in supermarkets," Dr. Child said. "But all tests that have been done so far haven't given us an answer." More
Pet Store Pro® Expands Business Content in 2009
from PIDA
Pet Store Pro® will expand its curriculum in 2009 to offer retail-focused business training for pet store owners and managers. This is one of several enhancements designed to leverage the hugely positive response the program has generated since its launch in February 2008. The Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), creators of Pet Store Pro, has partnered with The Retail Owners Institute® to provide practical instruction in retail finance, inventory management and cash flow control. Registered Pet Store Pro users will gain free access to a variety of user-friendly information and resources targeted specifically to independent retailers at the decision-making level. More
Reptiles Outnumber Dogs as British Pets
from The Telegraph
Calculations by the British Federation of Herpetologists (BFH) indicate that there are now as many as eight million reptiles and amphibians being kept as pets in the U.K. This compares to an estimated dog population of 6.5 million. The growth in reptile numbers is so rapid that within years they will overtake the country's nine million cats to become Britain's most popular pets. Chris Newman, chairman of the Federation, said: "There are now, without question, more pet reptiles than pet dogs in the U.K. You only have to look at the way the market has grown. I have no doubt that there are now between seven and eight million reptiles living as pets in the U.K. "Reptiles' popularity as mainstream pets has grown immensely. There has been an explosion in numbers. They have moved from being niche to being mainstream. More
Colorado Proposes Changes to its Pet Care and Facilities Regulations
from PIJAC
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (Division of Animal Industry) has proposed two amendments to the state’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities regulation. The amendments pertain to grooming standards and recordkeeping requirements for dog breeding facilities. This is the second time this year the department has proposed amendments to the Act. A public hearing on the proposed amendments is set for December 1, 2008. More
VPI Pet Insurance Through Companies Grows 35 Percent
from Veterinary News
Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) has reached a milestone, now offering more than 2,000 companies the chance to enroll employees in a voluntary pet health insurance program. The company launched its corporate benefits program in 1999, but has reported a 35 percent increase in participation over the last three years. Some participants in the program, originally created by VPI as a way to reward veterinary hospital employees with a discount on insurance, include VIACOM, Ford Motor Co., Office Depot and Proctor and Gamble, according to VPI. More
Phoenix Pet Food Manufacturing to Provide Jobs in Troubled Economy
from The Perham Enterprise Bulletin
Barrel O’Fun Snack Foods Co. recently purchased 12.5 acres on the far west side of Phoenix, and broke ground on a 140,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center. The company is expected to employ 200 when in full operation. Minnesota-based Barrel O’Fun paid $3.5 million for the land and will invest $21.5 million in construction. About 50 people will be employed initially, officials said. More
Pet Sitters Get Legit with Accreditation
from Pet Pulse
Taking a healthy puppy on a five-minute walk is one thing, but caring for a special needs cat can prove a tricky task, which not all busy pet owners feel comfortable entrusting to a neighborhood kid. Turning to professional pet sitters, however, also encroaches on a gray zone -- pet owners want to trust their pet sitters, but without state requirements for formal licensing, they don't always have a reason to. One nonprofit organization, The National Association for Professional Pet Sitters, is now hoping to add a new strand of legitimacy to the pet sitting businesses with its soon-to-be launched online accreditation program. NAPP joins Pet Sitters International as the two leading membership and accreditation organizations for pet sitting companies and individuals. More
| Symbol |
Name |
Last |
Change |
| ALO |
ALPHARMA, Inc. |
35.83 |
 0.99% |
| CENT |
Central Garden and Pet Co |
2.86 |
0.35% |
| CHD |
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. |
58.89 |
 1.29% |
| CLX |
Clorox Company |
60.27 |
1.52% |
| CL |
Colgate-Palmolive Company |
65.11 |
1.85% |
| DLM |
Del Monte Foods Company |
5.63 |
1.44% |
| IAX |
International Absorbents, Inc. |
1.95 |
 0.0% |
| JAKK |
Jakks Pacific, Inc. |
17.68 |
0.06% |
| KFT |
Kraft Foods, Inc. |
27.22 |
0.96% |
| ODC |
Oil-Dri Corporation of America |
17.32 |
1.14% |
| OPCO |
OurPet's Company |
0.20 |
0.0% |
| PECD |
Pet Ecology Brands, Inc. |
0.08 |
0.0% |
| PETS |
PetMed Express, Inc. |
17.90 |
1.70% |
| PETM |
Petsmart, Inc. |
16.21 |
1.50% |
| PFE |
Pfizer, Inc. |
16.15 |
1.50% |
| PG |
Proctor & Gamble Company |
65.01 |
0.51% |
| SGP |
Schering-Plough Corporation |
15.75 |
5.21% |
| SPC |
Spectrum Brands, Inc. |
0.22 |
10.00% |
| WOOF |
VCA Antech, Inc. |
17.11 |
1.72% |
from Forbes.com (Stock quotes published at 9:45 a.m. Eastern, Nov. 25, 2008)
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